Benjamin Siegrist insists he is ready to battle Joe Hart to be Celtic's No1 goalkeeper following his free transfer from Dundee United.
The Swiss shotstopper has put pen to paper on a four-year deal as he looks to compete with the former England international and Scott Bain for the gloves in Ange Postecoglou's side. He becomes the third permanent arrival at the club this summer following Daizen Maeda's permanent switch after his initial loan and the capture of Cameron Carter-Vickers on a full time basis after impressing during his stint from Tottenham last season.
Interest was high in Siegrist after an impressive four years at Tannadice but it was Celtic who won the race for the 30-year-old who believes he is in the spot for his career. And while he knows there are no guarantees in football he is confident in his own ability as he looks to dislodge Hart - who he admits he is 'buzzing' to work alongside.
READ MORE: Benjamin Siegrist joins Celtic on free transfer as he aims to push 'role model' Joe Hart
He said: “You’ve pretty much answered your own question, yeah. That wouldn’t be me, I always look to better myself and improve. What can I do better, what can I learn and what can I work on?
"I felt like the best spot for me in my career, and my career chapter that led me to this point today, is to be a part of Celtic Football Club.”
He continued: “I know there are no guarantees. There were no guarantees when I first came to Scotland four years ago.
“All I look forward to is the competition. It’s not a competition against somebody, it’s a competition with somebody. I look forward to competing with Joe, with Scott Bain, and working with the manager.
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"I know the standing Joe has here. He’s a fantastic goalkeeper and a good person, from the little chats I’ve had with him. I’m buzzing to be in the team with him, honestly.
"It’s going to be really good. You know what the manager stands for. We don’t stop. That’s something that really excited me.
“Yes, of course. Everybody wants to play. Ultimately, we are all competitors and we have the confidence to back ourselves to play. But, like I said, for me it’s about more than just that. It’s not just a case of saying, ‘I want to come here and play,’. It’s about the togetherness here - you can feel it when you come here to play against Celtic.
"They are all in it together for the right reasons - they are all in it for the team and for the greater good.”
“Of course, the goalkeeping position is special. You can’t just come off the bench for 10 minutes and you know there is only one of you who can play in any game.
"But it’s the job of the other boys to support the keeper that is playing in that moment and I back myself to do the best I can, to bring my skills to the table.
“There are no guarantees anywhere in football but, like I said before, there weren’t any guarantees when I first came to Scotland and that turned out quite well so I’m very positive that I can have an impact here at this football club."
But Siegrist was not so keen to discuss his long term link to Celtic's Old Firm rivals Rangers.
When asked if he had received an offer to join Giovanni van Bronckhorst’s side he replied: “We’ll not talk about that.”
Siegrist and Co will be mixing it with Europe's top clubs this season after qualifying for the Champions League proper.
The Hoops will be in the group stages after winning the Premiership title last term.
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